"Don't know how and why the explosion happened," says Bhandara factory blast survivor

Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Raut, the survivor said "We don't know how and why the explosion happened... I remember we were all taking out the waste material and putting it in the liner.. The wall collapsed and fell on us.. we were unconscious. When we regained consciousness, we realized that all three of us were trapped in the rubble... I was rescued later.."

On January 24, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced financial assistance of Ra 5 lakh to the families who were killed in the blast.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in Maharashtra took to its official handle on X (formerly Twitter) and posted, "Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh will be provided to the kin of those killed in the Ordinance Factory accident in Bhandara district."

The death toll due to the explosion reached eight, as per an official.

13 people were rescued from the site and five others have been undergoing treatment.

Nagpur Range Inspector General Dilip Patil Bhujbal also shared the development and said, "Today, at around 11 am, a huge explosion took place at the Ordnance factory in Bhandara. The officials reached the spot immediately. The search and rescue operations were completed within 8 hours. It was a unit to make low-temperature plastic explosives."

"13 people were working at the unit. 8 lost their lives and 5 were injured. Two of the injured have been shifted to Nagpur and 3 are in Bhandara. Five tonnes of RDX is still there under debris. The process of removing it safely will begin in phase 2. An SOP would be created so that such an incident does not happen again," said the official.

Bhandara Collector Sanjay Kolte also spoke to ANI and said, "Today, our priority was the rescue operation. That has just been concluded. Police and allied agencies will carry out the further investigation."

According to an official release from the Ordnance Factory in Bhandara, "Today, on January 24, 2025, at about 10.40 am, a massive explosion suddenly occurred in LTPE Building No. 23 in the HEX section (LTPE) of this factory. Immediately after the explosion, the factory's rescue and relief team, fire brigade team and medical team reached the spot and started the rescue operation at a rapid pace. On receiving the information, the teams of District Administration, NDRR, and SDRF reached the spot and started the relief and rescue work of the personnel trapped in the building."

"People were evacuated from the spot, out of which 5 injured people were taken to the local hospital for treatment and are being given proper medical assistance. 8 people have died in this tragic accident. An inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the causes of the incident," said the release. (ANI)